USADA chief: Lance Armstrong can implicate others in doping scandal

The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, arrives for a senate-led… (Francois Mori / Associated…)

Travis Tygart, who is the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, told a French government senate hearing Thursday that he wants Lance Armstrong to provide information detailing the alleged complicity of cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), in his doping.

“We have evidence of the UCI's involvement in this affair,” Tygart said. “Armstrong led us to believe — during the course of our interaction with him — that he had evidence of their complicity in this situation, and of course we've developed additional information that will come out through our process, that I can't comment on right now.”

UCI has been accused of covering up suspicious samples from Armstrong, accepting financial donations from him and helping him avoid detection in doping tests.

Tygart said he last spoke with Armstrong about a month ago, but told the Associated Press that “we're hopeful at some point he'll come in and be truthful. I think he could provide a lot of information. We certainly are under the impression based on our conversations around our meeting back in December that he has information and evidence that would be extremely helpful and powerful in trying to set cycling on a new path.”

After years of denials, Armstrong confessed to doping in January and was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

“Our firm belief is he has evidence and obviously I wouldn't say that unless I had backing to say it,” Tygart said. “We're convinced.”